WEEKLY NEWS


AIR CARG O WEEK


EVERY FLIGHT BEGINS AT THE AIRPORT: BAKU’S ALAT PROJECT RESHAPES REGIONAL CARGO STRATEGY


BY Anastasiya SIMSEK


04


“The two big strategic pillars we are building our future upon are the fleet renewal of Silk Way West Airlines and the construction of our own cargo airport in the Alat Free Economic Zone,” Wolfgang Meier, President and CEO of Silk Way West Airlines, declared at the Caspian Air Cargo Summit in Baku. “Those are the foundations of our future strategy.” That blunt assessment captures both the scale


of Azerbaijan’s ambition and the stakes involved in the new Alat airport project. Positioned on the Caspian shore, 70 kilometres south of Baku, the airport is the centrepiece of a free economic zone designed to connect air, sea, road and rail freight along the so-called Middle Corridor. Unlike the incremental expansions seen at established hubs, Alat is a Greenfield project that aspires to redefine how a mid-sized country positions itself in the global cargo market.


A strategic leap for Silk Way West Airlines Silk Way West Airlines has grown into one of the region’s leading freighter operators with a fleet of over two dozen widebody aircraft. Its next phase, Meier argues, requires infrastructure of its own. “We started this fleet renewal four years ago,”


he said. “At the same time, the second strategic pillar is the construction of our own cargo airport in the Alat Free Economic Zone. Those are the two main pillars we are building our future upon.” Why Baku? Geography, above all. “Baku


connects the global markets with the local and regional markets,” Meier explained. “It’s this mixture of connectivities which makes it a very attractive place to be. Entry barriers for doing business here are very low. It’s a perfect place to do logistics.” The Alat site is designed to capitalise on that.


Its central opportunity lies in multimodality. “The biggest opportunity I see is the multimodal offering facilitated through the new airport,” Meier added. “We are going to connect air freight


ACW 06 OCTOBER 2025 www.aircargoweek.com


with railway and overland transport along the Middle Corridor. That will enhance the logistics offering through the new airport.” This strategy also reflects the limits of existing Heydar


infrastructure. Aliyev


International


Airport, Baku’s current gateway, has been under pressure from both passenger and cargo growth. A new dedicated cargo airport, directly integrated with a free zone, is seen as the logical next step.


Building a new hub from scratch Jawad Dbila, CEO of Silk Way AFEZCO, frames the decision in straightforward terms. “It was very wise to take such a decision to have our own airport, because so far Silk Way West Airlines is among the biggest cargo airlines in the region,” he told ACW. “The idea came just three years ago. We decided the best place is the Alat Free Economic Zone, because first of the location, second, it’s a multimodal free zone. There’s a seaport, a train station — in the middle between north, south, east, west. The only missing piece was the airport.” Construction began in April 2024, with


completion scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027. The scale is notable. A 4,000-metre-long, 75-metre-wide runway is being laid, with 18 Code F parking stands. A 30,000 sq m cargo terminal is underway, in joint venture with dnata, which will handle ground services, catering and operations. “We are building the biggest cargo terminal in


the region,” Dbila said. The project is not limited to freight. “We will


also build business aviation facilities,” he noted, pointing to Silk Way West Airlines’ purchase of new Gulfstream aircraft and a joint venture with Luxair to operate them. “In the future, we are thinking to build a passenger terminal, ready in 2029. It will be complementary to Heydar Aliyev airport, because


there are


don’t fly to. We will not compete with them but offer more options for Azerbaijani and foreign passengers.”


destinations they


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